AFTER the high-profile Lottery money gaffes - the Millennium Dome and Royal Opera House come instantly to mind - here is a use of the cash which will enjoy widespread support.

More than £6 million is to be spent on building or improving school and community sports facilities in North and East Yorkshire.

This is good news for so many reasons. As the Prime Minister said today the programme, paid for by the New Opportunities Fund, should have widespread benefits for society.

Sport, Tony Blair said, is "a key weapon in our fight against school exclusion, crime and drugs, giving thousands of young people the chance to choose a positive, healthy lifestyle".

That Mr Blair chose to be so closely associated with today's announcement shows beyond doubt that National Lottery funds are now viewed by Whitehall as an additional form of Government revenue. This politicisation of the Lottery is the downside of a welcome trend to use the money to make a difference to the lives of ordinary people.

Today's grants will certainly make a difference. They are part of an ongoing Lottery commitment to grassroots sport. Two years ago, £125 million was set aside for the green spaces initiative, which aims to replace some of the playing fields sold off for development in recent years.

Add in the £500 million-plus of investment revealed today, and more and more youngsters will have access to decent sporting facilities. This should help to lure them away from their televisions and computer games at a time when the number of children who are obese and unfit is increasing.

The more young people who discover that playing sport is fun, the better. And there might even be a serious spin-off. In the Sidney Olympics, Great Britain won more medals than at any games since 1924. Why? Because National Lottery funding had boosted competitors' chances.

As yesterday's international rugby league result again demonstrated, professional sport in this country needs a boost to push it into the world-beating league.

Updated: 10:42 Monday, November 19, 2001